PREDECESSORS and SHORT
HISTORY: Founded in the 11th century.
Scholars differ on the origin and history of Chakma. One
popular view among the Chakma is that their ancestors once
lived in Champoknagar, although opinions differ as to its
location. According to oral history the Chakma left
Champoknagar for Arakan in Burma where they lived for
about 100 years. They had to leave Arakan for Bangladesh
in or around the sixteenth century, when Bangladesh was
governed by Muslim rulers, before the arrival of the
British. On their arrival in Bangladesh the Chakma chiefs
made a business contract with the Muslim rulers, promising
to pay revenue or tax in cotton. In return they were
allowed to live in the hill region and engage in trade
with the larger society. By the late eighteenth century,
British authorities had established themselves in the
southeastern districts of Bangladesh. The British formally
recognized a definite territory of the Chakma raja (the
paramount chief). In 1776, Sherdoulat Khan became the
Chakma raja. He fought unsuccessfully against the British.
Further fighting between the Chakma and the British took
place between 1783 and 1785. In 1787, Raja Janbux Khan,
son of Sherdoulat Khan, made a peace treaty with the
British government, promising to pay the latter 500 maunds
of cotton. The British recognized the office of Chakma
raja throughout the rest of their rule. Different Chakma
rajas maintained good relations with the authorities of
central administration and the Chakma increasingly came in
contact with the Bengali people and culture. Chakma was
incorporated into East Pakistan on 15th August 1947.
Rulers were....
- Raja CHAMAN KHAN,
Chakma Raja 1650/1700
- Raja JALOL KHAN, Chakma
Raja 1700/1715
- Raja FATEH KHAN, Chakma
Raja 1715/1737, married and had issue.
- Raja SHERMUST KHAN,
Chakma Raja 1737/1757
- Raja SUKHDEV ROY,
Chakma Raja 1757/1776, married and had issue.
- Raja Sher Dowlat Khan (qv)
- Raja SHERDOULAT KHAN,
Chakma Raja 1776/1782, married and had issue. He was
assasinated in 1782.
- Raja JANBUX KHAN,
Chakma Raja 1782/1800, married and had issue.
- Raja Tabbar Khan (qv)
- Raja Jabbar Khan (qv)
- Raja TABBAR KHAN,
Chakma Raja 1800/1801
- Raja JABBAR KHAN,
Chakma Raja 1801/1812
- Raja DHARAM BUX KHAN,
Chakma Raja 1812/1832, he was confirmed in his title
of Raja by the British Government; married Rani
Kalindi (qv), died 1874. He died 1832.
- Shuklal Dewan, appointed Manager in 1832, but was
deposed later the same year.
- Rani Kalindi, Chakma
Rani 1832/1874, a great ruler, she was considered
perhaps the greatest Chakma queen (#1),
married Raja Dharam Bux Khan. She died 1874.
- Raja HARISH CHANDRA Roy
Bahadur, Chakma Raja 1874/1885; born 1841, he
transferred his capital from Raja Nagar of Rangunia to
Rangamati in 1874; he was granted the title of Roy Bahadur by
the British, having rendered good service in the
Lushai Expedition of 1871-72, by supplying coolies,
boats, etc.; married and had issue. He died 1885.
- Raja Bhuvan Mohan Roy (qv)
COURT OF WARDS
1885/1897
- Raja BHUVAN MOHAN ROY,
Chakma Raja 1885/1934, born 1876, married Rani
Dayamoyi Roy, and had issue. He died 1934.
- Raja NALINAKSHA ROY,
49th Chakma Raja 1934/1951, born 1902, married Rani
Benita Roy (n�e Sen), Minister of Land Administration
and Land Reforms 1975/1976; Minister of Relief and
Rehabilitation 1976/1978; eldest daughter of Dr. Saral
Chandra Sen (see Sen
family), and his wife, Nirmala Devi Sen, and had
issue. He died 7th October 1951.
- Rajkumari Amiti Roy, born 11th January 1932,
married and has issue, two sons and two daughters.
- Raja Tridiv Roy (qv)
- Rajkumar Samit Roy, born 24th August 1942/1943,
Regent of the Chakma Kingdom for his nephew
1971/1977, married and had issue, one son and two
daughters. He died 2008.
- Rajkumari Moitri Roy, born 10th April 1945,
married and has issue, one daughter.
- Rajkumari Rajashree Roy [Rakhi], born 31st August
1949, married 6th September 1977 at Rangamati,
Maharajkumar Shri Jayasinhji Mayurdhwajsinhji Jhala
[Jawahir Dev Sahib] of Dhrangadhra, and
has issue, two daughters.
- Rajkumar Nandit Roy, born 1st September 1951,
married and has issue. (Wangza House,
Rajbari Road, Rangamati)
- Dr. Lumbini Roy
- Vaskar Roy
 His Excellency Major
(Hon.) Raja TRIDIV
ROY, 50th Chakma Raja [7.10.1951] - [1971],
born 14th May 1933 in Rangamati, he succeeded his
father on 7th October 1951 and was formally installed
as the 50th Chakma Raja on 3rd March 1953 in
Rangamati; he left Rangamati on 9th November, 1971,
for a tour of Southeast Asia as a special envoy of the
Government of Pakistan after which he elected to
remain in Pakistan permanently, afterwards in 1974,
his son was declared as the Chakma Raja, while his
uncle, Kumar Samit Roy, acted as Regent until 1977; in
Pakistan he was granted an honorary commission in the
Pakistan Land Forces and appointed Honorary
Aide-de-Camp to the Governor General of Pakistan; he
was elected Vice-Chairman of the District Council,
Chittagong Hill Tracts; later he was twice elected to
the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly and once to the
National Assembly of Pakistan; he served the
Government of Pakistan in several positions, including
as Federal Minister, Presidential Adviser,
Ambassador-at-Large and as Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary; earlier, during his tenure as the
Chakma Raja, he helped rehabilitate his people on new
and inhospitable lands, after the fooding that
occurred as a result of the construction of the Kaptai
Hydroelectric Dam in 1960; he helped spread education
in his region by facilitating the establishment of
schools and colleges and by securing their admission
to institutions in the capital city and elsewhere, later
he resisted the eviction of indigenous people from the
Reingkhyong Reserved Forest by members of the Forest
Department and East Pakistan Rifles in 1971; he was
the Founding President of the All Pakistan Buddhist
Society; he was awarded the Sri Lanka Ranjana
(14.11.2005) by the President of Sri Lanka, the
Saddhamma Jotikadhaka (2.3.2007) by the Government of
the Union of Myanmar and the Saddhamma Dipa
(1.11.2009) by the Shishu Koruna Sangha Trust in India;
author of They Simply Belong, The Windswept Wahini,
The Departed Melody: Memoirs, PPA Publications,
Islamabad, 2010, ISBN. 969-8587-10-1 and South
American Diaries: A Pakistani Ambassador�s Journal
(1981-1995), National Book Foundation, Islamabad, 2009
as well as short stories and articles in several
newspapers and journals; married 1stly, 1953, Rani
Arati Roy, married 2ndly (div.), Rani Anjali Roy,
married 3rdly (div.), Rani Martine (Quentric), and had
issue, five sons and three daughters. He died 17th
September 2013 and was cremated on 27th September 2013
in Islamabad, Pakistan.
- Rajkumari Chandra Kalindi Roy, born 23rd November
1956, married John Bernard Henricksen, and has
issue, a daughter.
- Raja Devasish Roy (qv)
- Rajkumar Sivasish Roy, born 20th September 1961,
married Monalisa Roy, and has issue, two daughters.
- Rajkumar Indrasish Roy, born 18th July 1963,
unmarried.
- Rajkumari Triveni Roy, born 25th February 1966,
married to Pavel Khisa, and has issue, two sons.
- Rajkumar Chand Roy (by Rani Anjali)
- Rajkumari Piya Roy (by Rani Anjali)
- Rajkumar Padma Sambhava Gwenhale (by Rani Martine)
- Raja DEVASISH ROY,
51st Chakma Raja (see above)
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